Humans of Sewanee brings a snapshot of the Campus

On September 2, David Terrell (C’17) started a Facebook page titled, “Humans of Sewanee.” According to Terrell, who goes by Sewanee PaPa (Paparazzi) on the Facebook page, Humans of Sewanee is “a page to display to the world that there are special people on the Domain.” Terrell started the page because “I wanted to take photography to another level here at Sewanee. I pressured myself to try new things this year and to become a better photographer. I have a ways to go, but I’m improving day by day.”

Terrell got the idea of Humans of Sewanee from Brandon Stanton, the creator of Humans of New York (HONY). Stanton started HONY to create “an exhaustive catalogue of New York City’s inhabitants” with photographs, interviews, quotes, and short stories. While Terrell is not as detailed as Stanton, he “tries to format around what he [Stanton] does.”

While Humans of Sewanee was started by Terrell, it is not a solo effort. Terrell credits the name, Humans of Sewanee, to Kate Reed (C’08) and Rob McAlister (C’12). Arlicia Sykes (C’17) also takes pictures when Terrell is too busy. When taking pictures, Terrell “prefer[s] people not look at the camera, and act normal. I adore hidden face shots.”

The page has received a lot of praise from students. It currently has 808 likes. According to Ashley Malpica (C’17) she “like[s] the way that Humans of Sewanee portrays friendships among people.”

Although the page has not existed for a long time, Terrell hopes it becomes “a lasting Sewanee tradition once I leave. I just want the page to continue to grow. Please Like, Share, and Invite the FB page: Humans of Sewanee. Its is for the world to see!”